Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil

I've been experimenting with different techniques, methods, products, and routines in order to find out what's best for the health and appearance of my hair. This month, I've challenged myself to not only not use any heat in my hair (no blow dryer, flat iron, hot comb, or curling irons), but also to refrain from using a comb or a brush. Even though we're only 13 days into March, I'm already seeing a huge difference.

We usually shed between 100 and 150 strands of hair daily, so some loss of hair on a regular basis is normal. One of the reasons I didn't wear my hair curly often was that EVERY TIME I detangled it, I lost copious amounts of hair. Seriously, it was alarming and scary. And I suppose it could be a combination of things (including my daily use of coconut oil and wearing a satin cap to bed), but since I've been finger detangling my hair, my hair loss has diminished drastically.

I've also been using Sunny Isles Jamaican Black Castor Oil products in my hair regimen (video product review coming soon!). Here's a break down of what I've been doing:

First, I use the Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to detangle my hair in small sections, then I put each section into 2 strand twists...

Then, I shampoo with the Lavender Jamaican Black Castor Moisturizing Shampoo. It has a really great, natural lavender smell that's super relaxing. It also has an unusual but really neat texture; it's kind of like a thick gel. I squeeze about a quarter size of product and apply it on my roots and massage it in to my scalp, then use another quarter sized squeeze to work through the bulk of my hair, then rinse it all out (I do not put shampoo on my ends at all)...

I follow that with the corresponding Lavender Jamaican Black Castor Natural Deep Conditioner. I use enough to totally saturate my hair, twist it into a bun on top of my head and then let it soak in for at least 5 minutes before rinsing thoroughly...

Now, the next step I'm still kind of tweaking. I've heard miraculous things about castor oil (the website says that regular use promotes hair growth, improves the quality of your skin, and helps your eyebrows and eyelashes to grow!), so I was very excited about using Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil. The first time I tried it, I applied it while my hair was wet, but the product is so richly thick and dense, I had a hard time distributing it in my hair. I couldn't really tell where I had applied the product and where I still needed some.

Because I wanted to see if the products made any immediate difference in the appearance of my hair, I did not use any additional styling products, but there is a Lavender Jamaican Black Castor Oil Hair Pomade that I will be experimenting with soon. 

Here's the thing, I didn't even need any additional products! My hair was soft and smooth and my curls formed perfectly. Once my hair was dry, I could tell where I missed applying the oil, so I think that next time I'll wait until my hair is only slightly damp (as opposed to soaking wet) to apply it. I've also started to apply the lavender enhanced castor oil  at night, and am totally obsessed with it! The scent is absolutely intoxicating (and so relaxing) so it seems a natural part of my bedtime routine. I just massage the oil into my scalp, rub whatever is left on my hands through my hair, and then apply a little more on to the ends of my hair to seal it. 

I promise (PROMISE) to post some pictures this weekend so that there can be a before and after comparison at the end of the month. I'm just getting over some illness and am SO not camera ready. Also, I'll be uploading a video product review to NaturallyCurly.com's YouTube channel this weekend, so please look out for that! 

Disclaimer: All products pictured were provided by the LOVELY people at NaturallyCurly.com!